India's Road map to Net Zero - Vision of LiFE & Panchamrits

India is the third biggest carbon emitter behind the United States and China. Hence, India should be and is leading the fight against climate change and has actively demonstrated its willingness to commit to reducing emissions to tackle the global crisis. India is a party to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and plays an active role in the climate change conference COP (Conference of Parties) held annually to address the climate change issue.

At COP26, held in Glasgow, Scotland, India’s Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi proposed the “vision of LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) that is in tune with our planet and does not harm it.” The goal of this is to imbibe the importance of conservation and moderation in the lifestyle of the masses. At the conference, India also submitted it's Long-Term Low Emissions Growth Strategy regarding the transition towards lower carbon emissions in its key economic sectors like energy creation, agriculture, and transportation.

The main highlight of India’s charter is the “Panchamrit” (Five Nectar Elements) to lead to this goal includes:

1. Reach 500 GW Non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.

2. Fifty percent of its energy requirements will come from renewable energy by 2030.

3. Reduction of total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now to 2030.

4. Reduction of the carbon intensity of the economy by 45 percent by 2030, over 2005 levels.

5. Achieving the target of net zero emissions by 2070.

At COP 27 (Sharm El-Shaikh climate change conference), held in Egypt, India implored the developed world to respect their financial commitments towards the transfer of green technology and building infrastructure to address the global issue of climate change. Despite being home to 1.3 billion people, India is only responsible for less than 4 percent of carbon emissions globally, and the annual per-capita emissions are one-third of the global average. But India is growing at a rapid pace, and energy creation and consumption play a major role in such types of growth. Thus, making climate financing an important aspect of fighting the global crisis. Climate financing generally means financing to mitigate actions that lead to climate change. The goal to reach $100 billion US dollars per year for climate financing by the year 2020 and every year after 2025 was agreed upon at the world stage.

India implored the developed nations that it is imperative to reach the promised goal or propose a roadmap for the same. The developed world’s historical responsibility is to provide adequate technology and resources to the developing world, so the principles of equity and climate justice are satisfied.

For India to achieve its ambitious goals, the government must work with the public and private sectors to develop green and energy-efficient solutions. Enhanced measures should be taken to reduce emissions from energy-intensive transportation and industrial sectors, especially steel, iron, cement, non-metallic minerals, and chemicals. The government needs to make policies that will entice the public and private sector companies to develop climate-resilient infrastructure, re-evaluate their high-carbon emitting assets, and contribute towards research and development of low-emission alternatives. Leading Indian companies like TATA, ITC, Reliance, Mahindra & Mahindra, etc., which are prevalent in different sectors like steel, auto, and agriculture solutions, are already on board the new Indian Net-Zero carbon emissions directive and have various ongoing projects for the same. The central and state government already provide subsidies in the solar, wind, and electric vehicles

Segments that will encourage the masses to adopt the proposed LiFE lifestyle by the hon’ble Prime Minister.

Climate crisis is a global crisis, and all nations should work as a community, not as individual entities. At COP 26 and COP 27, India showed its willingness to take major steps at the grass root level to fight the climate change crisis. India is actively implementing laws and policies that will help achieve the goal of reduced emissions. But the developed world should also respect its obligation and promises and help the developing world through climate financing and the transfer of green technology.